The Benue State Government has sealed a major green economy partnership with GreenPlinth Africa to distribute two million clean cookstoves to households and plant 100 million trees across the state.
Officials described the agreement as one of the largest environmental investments in Benue’s history.
The Memorandum of Agreement, signed on March 3, 2026, establishes a strategic collaboration aimed at promoting environmental sustainability, economic empowerment and climate action.
The project, titled Strategic Partnership for Green Economy and Greening Initiatives, will focus on deploying clean cookstoves and implementing large-scale tree planting and nurturing programmes across the state.
The initiative is also registered under the Global Climate Action Portal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), placing the programme within a global framework of climate response efforts.
Under the agreement, two million improved clean cookstoves will be distributed free of charge to households across Benue, with priority given to women, low-income earners and vulnerable families.
Officials said the stoves are designed to reduce dependence on firewood for cooking by as much as 80 to 90 per cent.
The shift is expected to significantly reduce indoor air pollution, a major cause of respiratory illnesses among women and children who spend long hours near traditional cooking fires.
In addition to the cookstove rollout, the partnership includes an ambitious environmental restoration programme involving the planting and nurturing of 100 million economic trees across Benue’s three senatorial districts.
The tree-planting campaign is expected to help combat deforestation, improve environmental protection and generate economic opportunities through the cultivation of valuable tree crops.
Deputy Governor Sam Ode said the initiative offers the state both immediate and long-term environmental and economic benefits.
He noted that the programme would also create employment opportunities for youths and women through skills acquisition and other empowerment initiatives.
Officials added that beneficiary households will receive monthly support payments of N10,000 and free enrollment into the National Health Insurance Scheme.
The project will also include plans to establish a clean cookstove manufacturing factory in Benue and develop waste-to-wealth initiatives that convert agricultural waste into useful products.
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